The XShip Of The Ring
by Melandune
Summary: What if three wandering strangers come into the scene. Three who are stranger than most. An X-MenLOTR crossover.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello there, I'm Lil' odd me. This is my fic as you might have noticed. ;oP I'm a fan of both LOTR and X-Men and since I haven't seen a crossover between the two I decided to write one. I hope you readers like it, both X-men and Lotr. I'm not gonna take up more of your time so I present to you:

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**'The X-Ship Of The Ring' **

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**Chapter one:**

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"Damn, this is the first time in two months that we have had some time off" Logan said, driving the jeep. They had been given some time off by Professor X and had left town. Gambit had also gotten a bit bored and had tagged along with Logan. Logan had borrowed a friend's apartment and that was where he and Gambit currently were.  

"Indeed it has. But let's not think about that now. We're here to have a nice time and have fun, not complaint about everything. If you are so tiered of not having any time off you shouldn't have joined X-Men" the Cajun said with a grin on his face while he played with the car radio. 

About 15 minutes later the two X-Men members walked in to a local bar. The bar was dimly lit and had a bar counter, some tables and a couple of pool tables. It was half full and they walked over to over to the bartender and ordered two beers and then headed to one of the free pool tables. They received a few stares, mostly because even though it was somewhat dark in the bar Remy insisted on wearing sunglasses along with his trench coat. 

Time passed and little happened. But just as Remy had won over Logan for the sixth time a bunch of 15 rather drunk men started to argue with a young woman. One of them had come up behind her and grabbed her around her waist, and was hitting on her pretty hard. She had been looking down in her drink and had just brushed off his arms off her around her waist. The man had enough and forced her to face him. He was surprised by what he saw. His buddies saw what was happening and came over. 

They started yelling, telling her to get out of town and that she was a freak and that mutants shouldn't be allowed to live. The woman didn't seem to pay much attention to them till one of them grabbed a bottle, smashed it against a table and was about to attack her with it. She looked at him and with a wave of her hand the bottle flew away and almost hit Logan in the head. 

"What the…" he said looking over his shoulder. Just as he located who had thrown the bottle he saw one of the men come straight at the woman who had no visible way to protect herself. She saw him, grabbed his arm and threw him to the ground. That only seemed to anger the drunken men further. They gathered in a semi-circle and were going to close off any way of escaping had it not been for Gambit and Wolverine. Gambit had seen the whole thing and when the bottle came flying they decided to join. This happened just as the men closed in on the girl. They crossed the bar in an instant. Wolverine tapped one of them on the shoulder. The man turned around and said:

"What you want, shorty?" This pissed Wolverine off and he punched the man in the face, breaking his nose. The blood splashed all over the man's shirt while his hands tried to stop the blood coming from his nose. 

"Never call me short. You got that, bub!" 

Gambit took on the six men to the left and Wolverine took on the five remaining to the right, leaving the three in the middle for the girl to handle. She managed to fend them off but one of them had succeeded to hit her in the side, making it rather hard for her to breath. She kicked the one who had been hitting on her hard in the groin, causing him a lot of pain and making him fall to the floor. Some of the men in the bar who had seen this winced sympathetically. 

Wolverine had enjoyed the fight and had taken it easy with the men. He had pulled the arm of one of the men out of its socket. Gambit had also taken the chance to play with the drunkards. He showed off since he never had the chance to do that in a 'real' fight. He jumped up on one of the tables and kicked the one to the left of him in the face, then jumped down as one of them tried to tip the table. He stood on his hands and grabbed a nearby chair with his foot. He then flung it at the man who had tipped the table over. 

Out of the corner of his eye he saw the brown haired girl kick one of the men in the stomach. What he saw that the girl seemed to have missed was the man coming up behind her. He saw his chance and couldn't pass up the opportunity to help a damsel in distress. Just as he had knocked the last man out, the man had picked up a chair and was about to hit the girl over her head while she was busy fighting the man who had attacked her first. Gambit went to stop him, but the man with the chair had already brought the girl down. Not being able to stop him in time made him pissed off and he took out his Bo-staff and smacked the man in the head, making him fall to the dirty floor unconscious. 

He took a quick look around. Wolverine was standing in front of a heap of men. He had kicked their asses but he had at least had the decency to not take out his claws. Gambit then turned his attention to the female body on the floor beside him. He bent down and checked for a pulse. It was there, weak but still there. He quickly glanced at her head only to find that it was bleeding. Her head had hit the bar table and there was a gash on her forehead, it went from the hairline to her eyebrow. It was bleeding and there was some dirt that had found its way into the wound. 

"Wolverine"                                                                                                                                     

"Yeah" Logan answered, walking over to the Cajun. 

"The girl, she needs help. She was hit in the head by a chair and now she's unconscious and bleeding."

"Then let's take her to the hospital."

"Come on Logan, you know they don't accept people like us there."

"What do you suggest we do then?" 

While Gambit wrapped a piece of cloth around the girl's head he and Logan discussed what to do. Gambit finally convinced Logan to bring the girl along with them to the apartment. Logan grabbed the bag the girl had with her while Gambit picked up the limp body of the girl and they walked out to the car. Logan handed the bartender some money and walked out after Gambit. Most of those inside the bar had already made a run for it, those who hadn't had called the police. Some had even dared to approach the drunken and now beaten men and helped them up and keep them there till the police arrived. 

Gambit laid the girl in the backseat of the car as Logan turned the engine on and they drove back to the house. As they reached the house Gambit picked the girl up and followed Logan in. 

"Now what are we gonna do with her?" Wolverine said.

"Mind opening the door to my room," he said trying to point to his door down the hall, still carrying the unconscious girl.

"Yeah yeah yeah, and it's lucky for you that you didn't suggest putting her in my room" Wolverine said, opening the fridge and taking out a beer. Still holding the beer he then walked across the room and opened the door. He turned the light on as Gambit walked in and laid the girl on the bed. 

Remy left the room for a moment and returned soon with a first-aid kit. Logan watched as Gambit carefully removed the old cloth and cleaned the wound with a cotton wool soaked in antiseptic liquid. Then he took out some bandage and slowly wrapped it around her head, making sure that it was tight enough to stay where it was. 

"How old you think she is?" Logan suddenly said. Gambit turned around, surprised by the question.

"I do not know, mon ami," he said looking back at the young woman. He reached down and took of her knee high boots and her black coat, leaving her with a pair of black pants and a red top that had a neckline big enough that it revealed the top of her shoulders. Then he grabbed the blanket that was lying on the bed and put it over her. They both walked out of the room.

Iris's eyes fluttered open and it took a while before her eyes could adjust to the brightness of the room. Her head ached and she felt slightly dizzy. She pulled the blanket over her head to block out the light that was coming thru the window and to try to fall asleep again. But it didn't work. Her head still ached and she could hear her stomach rumble. 

She slowly pulled the blanket down and opened her eyes slowly. She looked around but didn't recognize anything. She barely remembered what had happened the night before. That is until she tried to rub her temples but felt something in the way. She walked up to the mirror in the other side of the unknown room. She noticed that she didn't have her boots or her coat on. And to top it of, she had a bandage around her head. 

'_Okay let me see. I woke up in a strange bed, in a strange room. Not only that, but someone has taken my boots and coat off and I have a bloodstained bandage around my head. What the hell happened last night after that fight?_' 

She put her boots on, put on her coat and threw her bag over her shoulder. She slowly opened the door and peeked out. When she didn't see anyone she quietly slipped out. She rounded the corner at the end of the hall and walked into something, or rather someone's chest. She heard the sound of a door shutting and looked up and saw the last thing she expected. She stopped dead in her tracks and so did the one she had walked into. 

She heard someone cough and turned to see who it was. She saw a man that seemed to be around 5'3 and had brown hair. He wore a pair of light blue jeans and a white t-shirt under a black leather jacket. 

"Hey," he said watching them. Then he noticed the thing that had made Gambit freeze. The girl's eyes. They were just like Remy's eyes. Red irises on black sclera's. It didn't take long for all three of them to snap out of it. Wolverine was the first to speak.

"I'm Wolverine, and you are?" He walked over to the kitchen table and put down the two bags of grocery he had bought. He looked at her again, waiting for her to answer but saw that she had turned back to Gambit, who was looking down and had a thoughtful look on his face. He turned back his attention to the groceries and started packing them away. The girl finally answered.

"I'm Iris."

"Nice to meet you, Iris. You were quite the fighter yesterday" He looked at her.

"Thanks for helping me out"

"Thanks for missing me with that bottle," he said with a little smile on his lips.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I tried to avoid it hitting someone. I guess I didn't have the time to see where it was directed. But now I see that it went flying in the right way after all." She blushed slightly.

"Why are your eyes like that?" This was the first thing Gambit had said. She spun around to look at him. 

"What do you mean?" It was hard to believe that he was almost as confused as Iris was. He seemed so calm and cool. 

"I mean, how come you have eyes like those?" Iris didn't know what to say except…

"I was born this way if that is what you mean. Just like you, I guess." He looked her in the eyes. They were like that for a moment till Iris's stomach started rumbling again. 

"Hungry, eh? No problem. Sit yourself down and I'll make you an omelette while you tell us a little about yourself." He took out eggs and some other ingredients and told her to sit down. She sat dawn, but she was still taken aback by the whole thing. 

"How did I get here?" she asked. 

"Well, after the fight broke out yesterday at that bar one of the men managed to hit you in the head. It knocked you out and you fell and hit the bar table. That's why you have that bandage, if you were wondering. Ol' Gambit here…" he said pointing towards Gambit"…was a little late to stop the man, so he simple kicked his ass instead. Then he thought we'd bring you here to get that nasty gash of yours fixed. And that's about everything." 

After that nobody really said anything till the omelettes were done. 

"You want a beer? How old are you anyway?"

"Yeah and I'm almost 20 years old." 

"Then what were you doing in a bar like that yesterday?" Wolverine said taking out a beer for both of them. "You want a beer Gambit?"

"Yeah, sure." Gambit was leaning against the wall, barely saying anything.

"I'm just doing a little travelling," she said. For some reason Wolverine decided to toss Gambit his beer. Gambit seemed too deep within his own thoughts and hadn't paid attention to what was happening around him. If it hadn't been for Iris Gambit would have been soaked with beer. She had stopped it inches away from his head telekinetically, but a little of the malted liquid ended up on his face, disrupting him from his thoughts. He wiped most of it off. He looked in Iris's direction and gave her a slight nod, as if to say thanks for stopping it. 

"Telekinetic, huh," Logan said. "Do you have any other powers?"

*I can enter people's minds* she said still looking at him while he heard her voice inside his mind. She drank a little from the bottle of beer and looked out the kitchen window. It was sunny and there were some white clouds floating about like sails on the big blue sky. 

After the meal they had agreed since Iris wasn't heading somewhere in particular, she should go with them back to the X-mansion. Wolverine thought that the professor would have a hell of a time when meeting Iris. 

"Just think about it. You can come with us and stay at the mansion for a couple of weeks, or you can go and do whatever it was you were doing. But all I'm saying is that I think you should think this over."

*And you? What do you think I should do?* Gambit heard her talking in his mind. He had no idea what he thought he should do; let alone what she should do. 

*I don't know, chérie* he said looking at her. Iris suddenly felt like she was about to throw up and asked where the bathroom was.

"The second door to the left," Wolverine said with his mouth still full from the omelette. She stood up and started walking over to the bathroom. Once inside she washed her face with water and stood there thinking the whole time. Then she went back to find the guys still in the kitchen. 

Wolverine looked up and Gambit was now sitting where she had been sitting, across Logan at the kitchen table. He had his back against her but she could see that he heard her even though she walked rather quietly. 

"Have you decided yet?"

"Yeah. I'll come with you guys. When did you plan to go back to the mansion?"

"As soon as possible, I guess." Wolverine looked over to Gambit who had turned around and had a face that was hard to read what he felt about the whole thing. Iris was utterly lost when it came to the fact that there was another one who had eyes like her. She thought she was the only one. That is why she always had problems when she went out. But those she had grown up with had accepted her and her powers. A little too much at times, but she was careful not to use them too much. Sure she used her telekinetic power, but she was careful not to abuse her telepathic powers. She didn't want to abuse that power, to know what others were thinking. 

She had done so before. Sometimes it went well and you found out what you wanted. Other times you got more than you bargained for. She had had her share of mutant-haters. She knew what went on in their minds. Some mutants were lucky, they looked normal. But then there were the other ones, the not so lucky ones. 

_'Sure there are those who have it worse than me, but still… I can't go out like a normal person. I have to hide behind sunglasses most of the time. And sometimes I simply mess with someone's mind so that it seems to them that I have normal eyes. But I can't do that all the time, it makes me feel so… so… I don't know. I guess I all I want to feel normal. Be among people who are like me. Who know what I'm going thru. Like that Gambit-guy, he of all people should know how I feel.'_

"How long does it take to drive there?"

"It's outside New York, so it takes quite a while to get there," he said.

"Oh, okay. Then I guess I should take a shower first, and then we can go. If it's alright with you that is?" she said feeling unclean and hoping that the shower would help ease the dizziness and nausea that she felt as well.

"Yeah, of course you can. Gambit and I will pack our things meanwhile." Iris grabbed the bag she had dropped when she had walked into Gambit and walked back into the bathroom. She took out her shampoo and turned the water on, a bit warm so that it would help her muscles relax a little more. 

She stepped out of the shower a while later and put her clothes on. She picked another pair of black pants, a tight red top and a loose net-like sweater over it. She combed her hair and stepped out of the bathroom. Wolverine was in his room packing and Gambit sat in front of the TV. He was wearing his trench coat and has a pair of sunglasses on top of his head. Under the trench she saw that he was wearing something black, but she could only see a little from where she was standing. She later saw that it was his suit, and that it was electric blue and fuchsia as well. 

He watched her as she came out and told her to sit down so that he could clean the wound again. She did as she was told and sat down, waiting for him to take her old bandage of and replace it with a new one. He took out a cotton wool and soaked it with an antiseptic liquid. 

"This will sting a bit, mon ami," he said leaning closer to take out the dirt that might have found its way in to the wound. Iris flinched as Gambit started cleaning the open gash. The bleeding had stopped and the blood had dried. Then he took out some bandage and wrapped it carefully around her head. The strong smell of the antiseptic made her only dizzier and she once again felt like throwing up. However, she repressed that feeling. 

"There, now it's done," Gambit said leaning back from her and standing up. He turned around and packed the things he had used back into the first-aid kit that was placed on the table.

"Thanks," Iris said in a rather low tone. Wolverine came out of his room with a bag of his in his hand and waked over to the front door, where he picked up what must have been Gambit's bag. 

"Are you done?" he asked opening the door.

"Oui. We just finished up," Gambit answered putting on his sunglasses. Wolverine stepped out of the door and walked over to the trunk of the car and put his and Gambit's bags in there. Before he had the chance to even reach the car he heard Gambit calling for him.

Wolverine walked out and Iris grabbed her bag and stood up to follow him to the car. Halfway across the room her feet failed her and she swayed and would have hit the ground had it not been for Gambit. He caught her in his arms but she seemed to have fainted, but that was till he could feel her body start trembling. He called out to Logan for help. Logan came running thru the door within seconds and was meet with the sight of Gambit holding Iris in his arms. She was shaking and the shakings became more and more violent. He bent down and they both tried to hold her body down and stop the shakings. 

A muffled scream was heard from her throat and slowly grew louder. At the same time a white light appeared and the surroundings became hard to see, it looked like a fog had materialized around them. The background faded to nothing but white and Iris let out a scream from the intense pain that was going thru every inch of her body, it was a cry from the bottom of her soul. The pain slowly vanished and her body was once again limp. Her scream had left Wolverine's and Gambit's ears ringing, but that was the one of the last things they thought about right then. 

Wolverine was the first to look up while Gambit checked her for a pulse once more. 

"She's got a stable pulse now," he said still looking at her. He removed some hair from her face.

"Where the hell are we?" Wolverine asked no one in particular. Gambit looked up at this.

"What the…" 

They were no longer in the little house, but in a snow drift. 

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A/N: Hope you liked it! It took me a while to write it, but it's worth it if you liked it. =) *picks up an old watch from a hidden pocket and starts dangling it* You are getting sleepy. Your eyes are getting heavier. You are sleepy. You will press the purple button. It is your best friend. You MUST press it. You WILL press it.  

Till we meet again, remember that I'll update depending on how many reviews I get. Nah I'm only joking, but the reviews will help me by giving me inspiration, letting me know that there are people out there who enjoy what I do and what I've written. =o)


	2. Chapter 2

Having been defeated by the mountain, the fellowship trekked down another way than they had taken on their way up Caradhras. Having walked as far as they could, the company halted at the foot of a small hill. They sat down to have a small council about that which way they should take. Once they had had a small meal and agreed to take the road through the mines of Moria, most of them lay down to rest while they could.  
  
Before long a bright light was seen not so far away from their camp. Uncertain what it was Aragorn, Boromir and Legolas took it upon themselves to investigate while Gimli and Gandalf watched over the hobbits, and most importantly, the Ringbearer.  
  
Cautiously the two men and elf made their way towards the area which the light had appeared. Halting some distance from the hill-side where two dark shapes were only visible thanks to Legolas' keen eyes. Once the elf had moved a bit closer to the silhouettes, he returned to Aragorn and Boromir. He told them that the two silhouettes were that of two men, one short and broad shouldered while the other was tall and slim in build. He also told them that the two men were not alone. There was a woman there as well, and as from what he could see, she seemed to be injured.  
  
"What do you suggest we do?" Boromir asked Aragorn. The man also known as Strider thought for a little while before he answered.  
  
"If she is injured as you say, we must help her" The other two nodded their agreement and they moved even closer to the strangers. Legolas had described the strangers and how they were oddly clad. One of them, the tall one, had strange eye-coverings.  
  
Before they came into view of the strangers Legolas went off into a direction, so that he could stealthily walk up behind the two men while Aragorn and Boromir created a distraction.

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"What the..." Gambit said taking in the surroundings. They were no longer in the apartment they had been in a while ago. They were now on a small hill with a few small and twisted excuses for trees. Gambit walked over to Wolverine was standing. The shorter man seemed to be sniffing the air.  
  
"There's something odd about this place. I don't know what it is, but it's different."  
  
While the time slowly passed by, Gambit checked Iris' vitals every now and then while Wolverine checked the hill for any signs.  
  
It wasn't until about half an hour after they had appeared on the hill that Wolverine picked up something. He picked up the scent of two men and something else. Whatever it was it smelled 'earthy', and it wasn't like the rest of the surroundings.  
  
"Hey Gambit, we're got company"  
  
"How many?" the Cajun said, getting off the stone he was sitting on.  
  
"Two, I think, maybe a few more. They'll be here soon." Not long after Wolverine had uttered those words, two silhouettes could be made out in the dark. Standing their ground, Wolverine and Gambit waited until the strangers were visible.  
  
"Who are you -" One of the strangers beat Wolverine to the question, "- and what are you doing here?  
  
"Who wants to know?" Wolverine asked back. The strangers looked at each other and then back at them.  
  
"I am Aragorn son of Arathorn, and this is Boromir son of Denethor. I have told you my name, now give me yours."  
  
"I'm Wolverine and this is Gambit."  
  
"Those are strange names you have, where do you hail from?" Boromir said, standing beside Aragorn.  
  
"Depends, where are we?"  
  
"Are you claiming that you do not know where you are?" Aragorn asked skeptically, while looking over the two X-men's shoulders to see if Legolas was close enough to save the girl.  
  
"Yeah, that's what we're saying" Wolverine said, crossing his arms over his chest, sizing the two fellowshippers up. Meanwhile Gambit had turned around just a second after Aragorn had glanced over his shoulder, as if looking for something. He walked over to the unconscious form of Iris, once again checking her vitals. "She still stable?" Wolverine asked over his shoulder, not one taking his eyes of the two men.  
  
"Yeah, her pulse is still a bit weak, but it's stable."  
  
"What about the head wound?" When the bright light had faded, the both men had been unharmed. However, the wound Iris had on her forehead had reopened and the bandage around her head had red stains on it.  
  
Gambit carefully lifted the nearly blood-soaked dressing. The gash had stopped almost entirely stopped bleeding.  
  
"It's stopped bleeding" Gambit said looking up at his team-mate. Wolverine simply nodded at that.

* * *

Aragorn and Boromir had been standing still and they watch the interaction between the two men. They didn't seem to be harming the girl as they had first thought. It looked more like they were helping her. The first thing they had to find out now was if there two men were friends or foes. Were they simply strangers or was this a trick by the enemy? Aragorn knew that Legolas was not far off, that the elf could hear every word spoken and see every move they made. If something should happen the elf would better their chances of winning, but Aragorn hoped it wouldn't come to that.  
  
"Is she badly injured?" Aragorn asked, looking at Iris. Wolverine looked at him. Grey eyes met dark eyes. They stood there for a second, sizing each other up, before Wolverine answered.  
  
"You could say that. Why, you know where the nearest hospital is?"  
  
"What is a 'hospital'?" Boromir asked.  
  
'What kind of prehistoric hell hole is this!?' was one of the thought that crossed Wolverine's mind when Boromir wondered what a hospital was. Still looking calm he said: "It's a place of healing."

* * *

As Boromir and Aragorn nodded understandingly, a movement caught Wolverine's attention. Before the other had a chance to react Wolverine had pinned down Legolas. The Canuck was on top the pointy eared elf, and had his hands and feet in a steel grip.  
  
"Who are you?" Wolverine asked, almost growling.  
  
"Do not harm him!" Aragorn cried out. "He is with us. He is a friend." Gambit, who was standing between Wolverine and the two men, looked over to the other X-men to see what he would do. Wolverine glanced back before he released the fair-skinned elf, muttering something about 'smelling like a bloody spring morning'.  
  
"So who are ya, bub?" Wolverine asked yet again. The elf cast fleeting look towards Aragorn before answering.  
  
"I am Legolas of the Woodland Realm" Legolas didn't move his eyes away from Wolverine as Aragorn tried to break the tension by changing the subject.  
  
"What sort of injuries does she suffer from?"  
  
"She's got a gash on her forehead and she's unconscious" Wolverine said warily. "I'm guessing that she doesn't have a concussion"  
  
"May I?" Aragorn asked, taking a step forward. He received a nod and walked over to the seemingly slumbering form of Iris. He lifted the headband and took a look at the wound which was now covered with coagulated blood. After the Dúnedain had inspected Iris' injuries, he looked up at Wolverine and Gambit. "I can heal her wound, but we would have to take her to our camp for me to do so." Gambit and Wolverine shared a look before they agreed to go with the strange men.

* * *

Gandalf and Gimli were awake, having been left to watch the hobbits as the two Men and Elf had left to investigate the odd light that had appeared little over an hour ago. Seeing something move in the corner of his eye, Gandalf rose, looking out into the dark. He could make out five figure heading towards the camp. In a few moments Legolas' face could be made out as the elf had gone before the others to bring them the news. He told Gandalf and Gimli briefly about the two men and woman that they had found. By that time the other four shapes could easily be identified. Only it wasn't four, but five of them. Besides Aragorn and Boromir, there were two men and one of them was carrying what Gandalf assumed was the injured girl.  
  
Pippin, who had been awakened by the sound of hushed voices, opened his eyes and looked around. Aragorn was leaning over someone by a little fire that he had made, while two strangely clad men stood a few feet away from him. The strangers were watching not only Aragorn's every move, but also the rest of those who were awake.  
  
"There, I believe that should stop the wound from getting infected" Aragorn said standing up and facing the newcomers. Pippin didn't hear anything other than that, before Aragorn led the two over to where Gandalf was standing. Looking around for the others Pippin saw that Gimli and Boromir were lying not to far from where Gandalf and Aragorn were having a little 'chat' with the strangers. Where Legolas was, he couldn't see, but he guessed that the elf was most likely be a bit off, standing guard.  
  
Silently Pippin sneaked closer to the still form. Still not able to see the face of the stranger, Pippin crept even closer, until he could make out visitors features. It was a girl. It was the motionless form of a girl. A girl who had a bandage around her head and who was – who was about to wake up! Pippin watched as she slowly blinked a few times before she attempted to open her eyes. First she opened they only a little. Then after having done that a couple of times, she opened them and looked up with a still dazed look. It took a while before Pippin noticed that something was off. Her eyes, they weren't normal. Chocked, Pippin gave out a startled cry. As he did so, the girl shut her eyes and her hands were almost immediately covered her face.

* * *

Interrupted by the sudden cry the men who were aside, discussing, hurried over to where the sound had originated from. They were met by the sight of a midget trying to crawl away from the body of Iris. Walking up behind Pippin, Gandalf grabbed him and pulled him up onto him feet. While Pippin muttered about 'eyes', Gambit and Wolverine walked over to where Iris was lying. Crouching down, Gambit pulled away the blanket that was covering Iris head.  
  
"Cheré, are you alright?"  
  
"It hurts. My head hurts. Feels like there's elephants dancing in my head" Iris said quietly, starting to rub her temples gently.  
  
"It's okay. They'll be no more elephants dancing. The club's closed now. You'll be okay" Gambit said, helping Iris sit up. While he helped her, Wolverine watched Pippin, who was trying to hide behind Gandalf. Only it wasn't working since Gandalf was holding him firmly.  
  
"What's the problem with the munchkin?" He said, nodding towards Pippin.  
  
"He is not making any sense. He insists that the girl has red eyes" Gandalf said as if that was the craziest thing he's ever heard of.  
  
"So?"  
  
"Well, that can no be" Aragorn stated.  
  
"Really? Is that so?" Gambit said, still wearing his sunglasses. He glanced at Iris with an amused look on his face. "Well cheré, what do you think about that?" Iris slowly lifted her head, hands still rubbing her temples. Sighing, she said;  
  
"I don't think that my shields are strong enough for this one... But what's a girl to do?" she said, opening her eyes. All who were not asleep, except Gambit and Wolverine, gasped. "I knew it! I knew they weren't strong enough" Iris said. She could hear the murmuring sound of those around her. She quickly tried to build up her mental shield before her headache increased.  
  
"How is it possible? Is she ill?" Aragorn asked.  
  
"It just is, and don't talk about me like I'm not even here" Iris said jadedly. "And I'm not sick. Well, not that kind of sick at least..." The fellowshippers watched her with stunned faces. - _'This is a trick. It must be' - 'the work of the Dark Lord' – 'I knew it! I was right!_'- Iris could hear the incoherent thoughts of those around her and pushed her shield even higher.  
  
As the talk grew more and more quiet, Aragorn and Boromir listened to the wind after someone had pointed out that it sounded like the wind was howling. That brought the two of the men into a discussion about wolfs and wargs, which Iris couldn't care less about. It didn't take much time after that that a bunch of eyes in the dark were seen. After getting very paranoid by the knowledge that there was something out there, but you didn't know what it was, something that looked like a wolf on steroids to try to attack them.  
  
The 'warg', as they called it, never got the chance to even get close to them. When it had first appeared, the man in the pointy hat, Gandalf, had challenged it. Stubborn as it was, it just had to attack. Luckily, well not so lucky for the warg, Legolas shoot it in midair. Legolas was the one with of few there who had some sort of mental shield. The others being Gandalf and Aragorn. They weren't all that, but they were better than nothing. As for the ones she was with, they knew how to put up shields, Iris could tell. After the leader of the warg pack had died, the others withdrew and the fellowship as well as the 'strangers' moved to the top of the little hill they had camped near.  
  
Out of the corner of her eye she could see Wolverine and Gambit talking quietly among themselves. 'I bet they don't know where we are either' she thought to herself, lying down to hopefully get some sleep. As tired as Iris was, she didn't get much sleep. Half of the time she tried to find a comfortable position, the other half she tried to figure out what had happened. 'How did we get here? Why can't I remembered what happened?' In the end Iris gave in to exhaustion and fell asleep.

* * *

* * *

It was her. She could see her own body seizure. How the darkness somehow surrounded the body, yet she could see clearly as a few tears made their shaky way down her cheeks. She was so alone. The darkness closed in ever more. She tried to get to her body, tried to hold down the quivering form that was her. As the shakes became more and more violent, a light started to form. Soon her body was bathing in the white light. The darkness fell back as the light grew stronger. The light was so bright. She tried to shield her eyes, but it was no good. Covering her eyes with her hands, she waited until she dared look again. When she did her body was no longer floating in the darkness it had done, but it was lying on grass. She couldn't see much of the surroundings due to some sort of illuminist mist. Judging that her body was safe since the seizure was over; she tried to check out the surroundings. But as she tried to do so, something suddenly pulled her back. She tried to fight it, but the unseen force was too powerful for her.

* * *

"Iris, wake up" Lazily she opened her eyes. "Come on kid, we don't have time for this. We're under attack" the voice of Wolverine said. Wolverine helped her sit up and told her to stay close to the midgets. The 'midgets' as he had called them were standing to them selves, two of them holding what looked like big knifes or a small swords. Hobbits, that's what they were called. At least that's what she had heard them be referred as. It was one of these hobbits that had screamed when she had woken up, giving her a migraine. She hadn't heard much of what the others had discussed, but apparently these people were on some sort mission. 'Good luck!' she had thought cynically when she had found out. They had an old man, four midgets, a hairy dwarf, and only three looked like they could really look after themselves. Then again, being around mutants taught you that things aren't always as they look.

* * *

The two men, the elf and the dwarf, Gambit and Wolverine stood around the small hill, ready to take on the new wave of wargs that were closing in. Gandalf was standing somewhere between the front and them, while the hobbits were worried about their friends. Iris dusted off some of the dirt on her clothes while she walked over the small distance to the hobbits. The one named Pippin flinched when he saw her move closer.  
  
"I'm not going to bite you or anything" she said. "I'm Iris" she introduced herself to the others which she hadn't really met. Since the fight was about to break out at any moment they quickly introduced themselves and went back to quietly taking in the surroundings. The tension in the air was so thick that you could almost cut through it with a knife.  
  
Suddenly all hell broke lose. There were wargs attacking from every direction and due to the skill of those who were fighting around the hill, very few wargs managed to enter the inner circle.  
  
Iris couldn't do much more than watch. She didn't really have enough strength to help out. She watched Wolverine and Gambit fight.  
  
It was beautiful in a twisted way. They managed to move like dancers, yet they were surrounded with carnage.  
  
The two men with swords slashed their way through the wargs. Their swords and the elf's long knife were stained with blood, as was the edge of the dwarfs axe.  
  
Before Iris knew it the tree behind her was alight.  
  
Two of the wargs had managed to slip through the defense. Growling, they bared their teeth. Fearing that the wargs might be able to evade Gandalf's sword, Iris put up a shield around her body. She only regretted that she didn't have enough strength to shield anyone else or to help them fight.  
  
Before she knew it, the fight was over. Looking around she saw that no one was injured badly; most only had a few cuts and bruises. As the elf went to retrieve his arrows, Iris walked over to where Wolverine and Gambit were. After all, they were the only ones she knew there. Not that she knew them that well, but it was better than nothing.  
  
"You guys okay?" she asked, approaching them.  
  
"Yeah, nothing serious" Wolverine retorted even though his clothes had a great deal of holes in them. Gambit also had slightly tattered clothes, but nowhere near as many as Wolverine. "How about you, kid? You feeling okay?" he said looking her up and down in search of new injuries.  
  
"Yeah, still tired, but I'll live."

* * *

Reaching the place called Moria Iris slumped down on a rock. It was now dark and the old man, Gandalf, was stroking the rock wall as if looking for some kind of hidden button. He talked about something mirroring in only in starlight and moonlight. And lo and behold, as soon as he had said that the moon appeared from behind a cloud. A large gate was now visible. The doors were covered in some writing and what looked like an anvil and seven stars. Standing close enough to the doors Iris heard the discussion some of the others were having.  
  
"It reads "The doors of Durin - Lord of Moria. Speak friend and enter" Gandalf read out when someone asked what it said.  
  
"What does it mean by speak, friend and enter?" one of the hobbits asked.  
  
"That is plain enough. If you are a friend, speak the password and the doors will open, and you can enter" Gimli, the dwarf, answered.  
  
As time passed, Gandalf tried different words and phrases, all with the same results. Whatever the old man said, nothing happened.  
  
Getting tired of watching the old man fail, Iris directed her attention elsewhere. One of the hobbits was standing with the pony and looked very reluctant to leave it behind. But one of the men, Aragorn, seemed to be talking him, reassuring him that the pony would be okay.  
  
It took a while, but they finally managed to crack the password. It turned out to be a riddle, and that the password was the elvish word for 'friend'. Picking up her bag Iris walked closely to Gambit and Wolverine as they entered.  
  
"Man, it's dark in here" Iris muttered, insisting on walking between the two X-men. It was no wonder that she received a grin from Gambit and a "Well, we are in a cave you know..." from Wolverine. Coming to a stop only a few feet inside the doors Iris could hear Gimli boast about his cousin and food.  
  
"There's dead body's here" Wolverine whispered to Iris and Gambit. Just as he said that someone in the front stopped and suddenly someone else was telling urging them to get out and that they were not in a mine, but a tomb. Seeing the men draw their weapons Iris started backing towards the exit, slowly followed by the X-men. What no one seemed to notice was that something was stirring in the water behind them. As the entire company started moving closer to the doors something looking like a tentacle darted out from the water and grabbed Iris, dragging her under the water before anyone could react.

* * *

**  
Author's Note**: Im sorry for not updating for so very long, i had the a huge writers block. however, for the moment i'm working on the coming chapters of this story (chapter 3 done and chapter 4 on the way ). hope you enjoyed it and remember the purple button is your best friend in the world! ;) 


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Iris barely had the time to react when she felt something grab and pull her off her feet. To surprised to even let out a scream, she tried to fight the slippery tentacle which had wrapped itself around her and was pulling her into the water. What she did not know was that the beast had also grabbed Frodo and was pulling him into the water as well, and it wasn't until Frodo had yelled that the others noticed that the Watcher in the Water had sneaked up on them.

Wolverine heard a gasp from behind him and turned. As he did that, Frodo gave out a scream, attracting the attention of all. Something had grabbed the hobbit. Stepping forward to help he noticed that something was missing. Iris. She was nowhere to be seen. Looking towards the beast Wolverine saw that the creature had grabbed Iris as well and was trying to pull her into the water.

As the other hobbits bravely tried to free Frodo, Gambit and Wolverine tried to free Iris before she was pulled under. As Boromir and Aragorn slashed the attacking tentacles, Wolverine extracted his claws and slashed along with them. Grabbing a handful of pebbles, Gambit charged them as much as possible, throwing them at the large beast, trying to miss both Iris and Frodo.

Screeching with pain the Watcher tossed his captives wildly in the air as several of its tentacles were chopped off. Managing to cut off the main tentacle holding Iris, Iris fell towards the ground, only to be caught by Gambit. Once Gambit had her he quickly made his way back to the shore. A moment later Boromir made his way towards them with Frodo in his arms, Wolverine and Aragorn watching their back.

"Legolas! His eye, aim for his eye!" Boromir yelled as soon as he was out of reach for the tentacles. And aim for his eye Legolas did, forcing the creature to withdraw. However, as the fellowship and the others raced into the caves the Watcher reached out and slammed the doors shut.

---

Making sure that she still had her bag, Iris held her side trying to breathe normally. Her lunges ached and she was soaking thanks to the little dip she had, courtesy of the Watcher. Bending a bit forward she took a slow and deep breathe.

"Are you alright, kid?" Wolverine asked, noticing that Iris was still holding her side.

"Yeah, it just knocked the air out of me" she said, not really being able to make him out completely in the dark. As good as her sight was in the dark, there was still the matter of not being able to see much in the dark of the caves they were stuck in.

"We now have but one choice. We must face the long dark of Moria. Be on your guard. There are older and fouler things than orcs in the deep places of the world" Gandalf said as his staff gave out a beam of light, forcing most to momentarily shield their eyes. Once Iris had gotten used to the little light she looked at the others, seeing the startled faces of the fellowship. As for Gambit and Wolverine, they looked unruffled by the entire situation.

Urging them to be quiet Gandalf lead them up many stairways and through many chambers before they halted. Slumping down on the ground Iris leaned against a stone wall, catching her breath. Never in her life had she ever walked up and down that many stairs. Taking off her boots she stated rubbing her sore feet. The thought of simply using her powers so that she wouldn't have to actually walk had crossed her mind, but for some reason she had decided against that. There was something wrong with these caves, she could feel, it but she had no idea what it was.

"Here" someone said. Looking up she saw that it was one of the men, Boromir. He was handing her something to eat.

"Thank you" she said, noticing how hungry she really was. She ate the piece of bread and cheese while looking at the others. Seeing the two x-men not so far from her she pondered on how they ended up where they were. How had it happened? Why had it happened? And most of all, how come she couldn't remember anything? All she remembered was that one moment she was walking to the door at Gambit and Wolverines house, and in the next moment someone was looking down at her, screaming and backing away from her.

"Something wrong?" Gambit asked, sitting down beside her.

"Not really..."

"Don't you be giving me that. I can see there is something bothering you"

"Fine. I just don't like the fact that I can't remember how we got here, okay.

"Don't worry, it'll come back to you" he said giving her an awkward hug. Picking up one of the blankets he had brought with him, he handed it to her. "Get some sleep, chere. You'll need it" With that he wrapped the blanket around him, he moved into a more comfortable position. Looking at the blanket in her hands for a while she heard Wolverine sit down on her other side, he too trying to get some rest. Finally wrapping the blanket around her, Iris lay down between the two men. Closing her eyes she stretched out with her mind, gently brushing past the others minds. Most of them had already fallen asleep, but a few of them were still awake.

As Iris moved onto the astral plane she tried to find her memories. Walking across the field she had created she moved towards a big tree by a stream. Touching a leave she accessed one of her many memories. The one in question was the memory of her 18th birthday, the day when one of her friends gave her a little stereo-type-thing. Not being able to locate the memories she was looking for she left.

She saw the minds of the others now as little spheres of light. Most of them were glowing. No matter how tired she was she always loved the feeling of freedom she got whenever she was on the astral plane. She could do anything she wanted here. Taking a closer look at a smaller golden sphere she found out that it belonged to the elf. Intrigued she leaned closer and touched the surface with her fingertips. At once the glowing dimmed and the globe got smaller. He most have noticed her and shielded his mind, she thought as she returned to her body to get some sleep.

---

Getting up a few hours later the journey through the dark continued. Every so often Iris would feel someone staring at her, but every time she looked around she didn't notice anything unusual. After a number of short halts to rest and eat, the company finally halted when they arrived at a crossroad. Apparently Gandalf, who was the leader of this little expedition, didn't recognize the place, which meant break time. While the old bearded man sat in front of the three doorways Iris heard two of the hobbits talking.

"Are we lost?" the one named Pippin asked.

"No" the other one answered.

"I think we are" Pippin said in a sad tone.

"Shhh! Gandalf's thinking" a third hobbit, Sam, said. After a little while Pippin once more spoke.

"Merry?"

"What?"

"I'm hungry" he said, making Iris smile. She couldn't help it, but they seemed so sweet. Before closing her eyes to get some rest Iris looked around with half closed eyes. Doing so she saw that the elf, Legolas, was looking at her. Iris suspected that he knew about the other night when she had visited the astral plane. 'Of course he knows' she thought to herself. Lying down to get some sleep, she could feel someone lying down next to her. Feeling cold Iris was drawn by the warm body next to her and inched closer. Press herself against the back of the male she felt him stir slightly, before lying still. It didn't take long before Iris fell asleep to the sound of steady breathing.

Once Gandalf finally made up his mind about what way to go Iris had managed to get some rest. Despite the last days of walking and such, she was feeling much better. Her head didn't hurt as much and the gash she had hadn't gotten infected. What she was looking forward to the most at the moment was a bath, a long warm bath. It was that thought that drove her to put one foot in front of the other. That and the fact that the cave was really creeping her out.

Taking the route Gandalf had chosen they walked into a more open space. As Gandalf made his staff give out a brighter light, the large space turned out to be a really big hall of some sort. There were large pillars and arched ceilings as far as Iris could see. Hearing a few gasps Iris knew that the others were just as in awe as she was at the sight of the grand hall, even though it was barren.

"Behold the great realm and dwarf city of Dwarrowdelf" Gandalf said, letting the other take in the sight for a moment.

Moving on through the Hall, Gimli suddenly saw something in one of the side rooms. Halting for a moment Gimli gave out a strangled sound.

"Gimli!" Gandalf said warning, but ignoring Gandalf Gimli made a dash towards the entrance. Inside the room, which was somewhat filled with spider web-covered corpses, was a big tomb. It was there they saw Gimli kneeling by the tomb, crying. As Boromir walked over to lay a sympathetic hand on Gimli's shoulder, Gandalf brushed away some dust to read what was written on the tomb.

"Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria" Gandalf said, translating the runes on the tomb.

"He is dead then. It is as I feared" Frodo said. At that point Gimli started to wail in some language. As the rest stood around the tomb, Gandalf gave his hat and staff to Pippin. Then he walked over to one of the corpse and grabbed a hold of the book it was holding.

"We must move on, we cannot linger!" Legolas said to Aragorn, but that was very much ignored by Gandalf, who opened the book and started flipping through it.

Iris couldn't stand it anymore. This was creeping her out, and it was not just because they were stuck in a huge cave and all. Seeing dead bodies lying around wasn't really comforting. It only got worse when Gandalf started reading from the book he took.

"They have taken the bridge, and the second hall. We have barred the gates, but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes. Drums, drums in the deep" he read out loud, pausing only to turn the page. "We cannot get out. A Shadow moves in the dark. We cannot get out... They are coming."

Hearing the old man read those lines send shivers down Iris's spine. This did not bode well, not well indeed. Brought back to reality by the sound of something falling, Iris saw that Pippin had dropped something down a hole in the ground. He winced at every wave of sound until there was nothing left but silence. As everyone let out a breath they hadn't realised they had been holding. Gandalf slammed the book shut. And that's when the berating started.

"Fool of a Took! Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!" Gandalf said, grabbing his staff and hat from the hobbit. Just as he did so they could hear the echoes of drums from deep below. For the first time Iris saw worry written all over Wolverine and Gambit's faces. But they were nothing compared to the fear the fellowshippers were emitting. 'This is bad. Very bad' Iris thought.  
  
---  
  
Author's Note: I apologize for taking so long to update, I've been a bit busy. But there it was - chapter three of 'The X-ship of the Ring'. I hope you enjoyed it and i'd love to hear your thoughts about it. Press the purple button, it is your best friend in the whole wide world. I sure know I love it :)


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Frodo!" Sam yelled, pointing to Frodo's sword, which was giving out a blue glow.

"Orcs!" Legolas hissed. Boromir, who was standing closest to the doors leading to the hall, went to take a look. Taking a quick glance he nearly got hit by a few arrows. Fortunately they missed his head and hit the door instead. Telling the hobbits to stay near Gandalf Aragorn, along with Wolverine, went to help Boromir close the heave doors.

"They have a cave troll" Boromir said a bit miffed, hearing a loud roar from the other side of the doors. As everyone prepared for a battle Gimli climbed up on the tombstone, gripping his axe.

"Aarrgghhh!!! Let them come! There is one dwarf yet in Moria that still draws breath!" he said. And that's when the things outside began breaking the door down. Standing in the back with the hobbits, Iris secured her bag and prepared herself as much as she could, which in it self wasn't much. As the things on the other side made a large enough hole in the door Aragorn and Legolas started shooting them. That only held them back for a moment, but the 'orcs' broke through nonetheless. Standing as far back as she could Iris watched the others fight. On one side was Aragorn and Boromir, both of them slashing and chopping the hideous things. On the other side were Legolas, Wolverine and Gambit, fighting as hard. Seeing the hobbits joining the fight, Iris decided not to be outdone by someone half her length. It was an odd thing to think, but think it she did. Mentally picking up objects Iris used them as weapons.

A sword from one of the dead bodies flew through the air, slashing as much as it could. Meanwhile Iris had picked up a shield that was lying around. Remembering to conserve her energy, she didn't let the sword fly all over, but rather within a certain reach. She was standing in her own little corner with her back to the wall. To busy fighting her own adversaries, Iris didn't pay attention to the fact that a cave troll just entered through the doorway. But that changed as Legolas shot it, making it growl. Turning around Iris saw the massive body of the troll as it spotted something, that something being Sam. As the troll started swinging the mace it was carrying, Sam looked up and reacted by running under the troll's legs.

Brought back to paying attention to the fight, Iris picked up the orc who was trying to get to her and threw him across the room and made sure he landed on some of his companions. Yelling a warning to Gambit she decided to leave her position by the wall, and move more towards the others. Slowly she made her way to where the others were fighting, even though they were still a bit spread out in the middle of the big room.

Suddenly noticing something in the corner of her eye, Iris turned only to see a large chain that was attached to the troll coming her way. Quickly ducking out of the way, Iris rolled and managed to get up before an orc cut her head off. Just as it brought the sword down she stopped it about a foot above her head, surprising the orc. Taking advantage of the moment Iris twisted the sword out of the orcs hand, forcing it into his stomach.

Creating a shield around herself, Iris stopped to take a breath, enjoying the look on the faces of the orcs trying to bring down the unseen barrier. Smirking, Iris looked over to where Aragorn happened to be. He was screaming something. Then, grabbing a spear, he stabbed the troll. It didn't seem like it had done the troll as much damage as he had hoped and the troll send Aragorn flying across the room. Luckily for Aragorn, the wall he had hit had been very close to where Iris was standing. Hurrying over to Aragorn's body, she sees Frodo doing the same. Letting Frodo get to Aragorn Iris turned around to stop a couple of orcs.

"Frodo!" Iris yelled, seeing that the troll was heading towards him and Aragorn. Frodo began to run but the troll blocked his path with a spear, throwing him back. As the troll pulled its arm back, Iris gave out a cry, watching in horror as the troll aimed and stabbed Frodo's chest. Iris watched as Frodo slowly drooped to the floor.

Just as the troll grabbed Merry, who had jumped onto its head, Wolverine slashed through the troll's leg, causing it to give out an anguished cry and throw Merry to the ground.

Urged by the thought of revenge for their fallen comrades the fellowship doubled their efforts, and with the help of the three mutants they managed to kill the troll and killing most of the orcs, sending the rest fleeing.

"Oh no!" Aragorn cried out, having regained consciousness in the midst of the final part of the battle. He ran over to where Frodo was lying and gently turned him over.

"He's alive!" Sam yelled as Frodo groaned. Stopping only to make sure that Frodo was still alive the group escaped through a rear door when they heard orcs down the large hall.

"To the bridge of Khazad-dum!" Gandalf yelled, going first through the doorway. Running somewhere in the middle Iris heard the foul voices of orcs closing in on them. Racing through another hall they could see an army of orcs coming after them. Some were even attempting to crawl down the large pillars. As loads of orcs started closing in on them, the group formed a circle, defending the hobbits. Standing in the middle of the circle with the hobbits, Iris could feel her heart racing. As the orcs started moving closer, a flicker of light appeared at the end of the hall, followed by deafening growl. For some reason the orcs panicked and started running away.

"What is this new devilry?" Boromir asked.

"This is a foe beyond any of you" Gandalf said darkly. "Run!"

Going through a passageway, the fellowship and the mutants ran down a flight of steps. Running behind Legolas Iris saw that when the stairs made a sharp turn Boromir had almost fallen into a deep chasm. Taking another flight of stairs they finally stopped when the stairs they were taking had a gap. Legolas jumped over the gap first of all, telling Gandalf to jump. Just as Gandalf landed on the other side of the gap a couple of arrows came whistling through the air. Taking advantage of the fact that Legolas and Aragorn were returning the shots, Iris, Wolverine and Gambit jumped over the gap.

After them came Boromir with Merry and Pippin under each arm. Helping them regain balance with a little help of her telekinesis, Iris backed enough to let the hobbits pass her by and go further down on the stairs. While Iris did so, Aragorn had grabbed Sam and tossed him to the other side, where he was caught by Boromir.

"Are you alright?" Iris asked the hobbits over her shoulder as Aragorn reached for Gimli. Glancing quickly behind her she saw the hobbits nod quietly. Turning back towards the gap Iris saw Legolas holding Gimli by the beard, preventing him from falling into the blackness. Quickly pulling Gimli into safety, Iris looked to the other side of the gap where Aragorn pushed Frodo back and threw himself on the stairs as high as he could reach, since the gap had gotten bigger as it was hit by falling stones. Not only had the falling stones made the gap bigger, it had also separated the part Frodo and Aragorn were standing on from the rest of the stairs. While Aragorn and Frodo balanced on the unsteady part they the rest could hear the Balrog get closer.

"Stay there. Hold on. Hang on! Lean forward!" Aragorn instructed Frodo as the pillar started wobbling.

"Come on!" Legolas urged. Shifting their weight forward, tipping the stairs, they slammed onto the part where the others were standing. Just as the two parts collided, the two of them jumped into safety. Not wasting any time they all started running down the stairs as fast as they could.

"Over the bridge! Fly!" Gandalf yelled as he turned around to face the Balrog. While Gimli lead the way across the narrow bridge, he was followed by Merry and Pippin. After them came the others and then the three mutants. Last to cross the bridge where Boromir and Aragorn. Halfway across the bridge Gandalf stopped and turned to face the Balrog. The Balrog let out a menacing growl, sending shivers down Iris's spine.

"Go back to the Shadow! You cannot pass!" Gandalf shouted at the top of his lungs, challenging the enormous beast. The Balrog looked like a shadow figure, surrounded by fire. It had a man-shape, only larger, much larger. And somehow it was seemed to give out a wave of terror as it stepped closer to the bridge and spread its wings.

Iris felt the wave of fear that seemed to be coming from the thing. She could hear someone call out Gandalf's name, but it seemed so distant. She felt paralyzed. The only thing she could do was watch the scene that was playing out in front of her eyes.

Gandalf's staff was giving out a white glow, lighting up the entire bridge.

"I am the servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udun!" he yelled as the Balrog took a step forward. The monster attempted to strike at Gandalf with a flaming sword, but Gandalf parried the blow with a sword of his own, shattering the Balrog's sword. "Go back to the Shadow!" Gandalf told the Balrog. As an answer the large beast waved a flaming whip around threateningly.

"YOU...SHALL NOT...PASS!!!" Gandalf shouted as he banged his staff against the bridge. As the Balrog stepped out on the narrow bridge, it collapsed under it due to the tremendous weight. Exhausted, Gandalf leant against his staff, watching his foe be enveloped by the darkness of the deep chasm. Not admitting defeat, the demon lashed his whip at the last minute from the deep, trying to bring Gandalf down with him. The talons of the whip wound around the wizard's ankle, dragging him over the edge.

Iris could feel someone brush by her, screaming Gandalf's name. Unconsciously Iris stretched out with her mind towards Gandalf, only to be met with great resistance. Somehow he managed to 'throw' her out of her head, making Iris take a surprised and still stunned step back.

"Fly you fools!" was the last thing Gandalf said before losing his grip, before falling into the darkness below. Iris's eyes widened and could hear sounds and screams. Feeling someone grab her arm and started pulling her away, she simply let herself be led up the stairs and out of the cave as it starts raining on them.

Once out of the cave everyone took a moment to come to terms with what happened at the bridge. Sam was sitting on the ground, crying into his hands, while Merry was comforting Pippin. Legolas and Boromir simply seemed to be shocked, and Gimli was busy venting out his rage and sorrow. Gambit and Wolverine were standing to the side, letting the others deal with their grief in their own way. Iris, who was still a bit shocked, just stood there, staring at nothing. While many of the others were crying, Iris couldn't. It wasn't as if she didn't care, but more like she hadn't come over the shock yet. She had seen a man fall to his death. For the first time, she had seen a man die. A man she knew. Her eyes flickered from one member of the fellowship to another, and seeing the grief at the loss of so dear a friend hit her harder than her own feelings. Seeing the tears and hearing the sobs made her heart clench in her chest. Her barriers were crumbling under the massive waves of emotion, forcing her to concentrate on them before they fell altogether. If they did... she didn't know what to do if that happened.

Aragorn whipped his sword clean, re-sheathed it and turned to the group. He told Legolas to get the others up. At once Boromir objected, telling him to 'Give them a moment for pity's sake!'

"By nightfall these hills will be swarming with orcs! We must reach the Woods of Lothlórien. Come Boromir, Legolas, Gimli, get them up" he retorted.  
  
---  
  
Author's Note: I'm sorry for the wait, but i've had some problems with my computer. Hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as you've hopefully enjoyed the rest of the story. CC is as always welcome. Remember, the purple button is you're friend!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Once again they were running. Not that Iris minded the running at the moment. She was tired, but the tiredness helped her from thinking about the situation they were in. Her legs seemed to be running on their own and Iris didn't think about much, except the wind in her face. Far ahead Iris could see a large forest.

After some time Legolas noticed that Sam and Frodo were falling behind. Stopping only so that Aragorn and Boromir could go back and pick the two hobbits up, they continued towards the golden haze that was Lothlórien. Reaching a stream not long after, the company stopped.

Slumping against a tree Iris watched as Gimli and the two youngest hobbits started a small fire and drew water so that Aragorn could tend to Sam and Frodo. While Aragorn cleaned their wounds some of the others prepared the food. Holding up a glittering shirt Aragorn said something, trying to break the tension. But Iris simply closed her eyes and leaned her head back, resting it against the trunk of tree.

"Ya okay, kid?" Wolverine asked softly. Iris opened her eyes and turned her head towards him. He was sitting a few feet away from her with Gambit, who also seemed to be wondering how Iris was coping with it all. Watching them for a moment Iris gave them a reassuring nod.

Once they had eaten, they put the fire out and hid all traces that they had been there.

Three hours later, when night had already fallen, they reached the edge of the Golden Wood. Hesitant to enter the forest Boromir asked if there was no other way.

"What other fairer way would you desire?" Aragorn said. As they continued talking Iris got the feeling that they were being watched. Peering among the trees as the rest talked, Gambit asked her if there was something wrong.

"No, I don't know. There's just something off with this place" Iris said, trying to explain the feeling she had. As Boromir caved in, they walked in to the woods. They had walked a little more than a mile when they came across yet another stream. They heard it splashing over a fall away among the shadows on their right. Wading across the water they settled on the other side, resting and eating a little while Legolas spoke of how the elves of Mirkwood still kept tales of Lothlórien in their hearts. Listening to the sound of the waterfall, Legolas started softly singing a song about the female elf the waterfall was named after. Having sung only a part of the song, Legolas' voice faltered.

"I cannot sing any more" he said. "That is but a part, for I have forgotten much. It is long and sad, for it tells how sorrow came upon Lothlórien, Lórien of the Blossom, when the Dwarves awakened the evil in the mountain"

"But the Dwarves did not make the evil" Gimli said.

"I said not so; yet evil came" Legolas answered sadly. As Legolas continued to talk, Iris reached out with her mind as the feeling she had grew stronger. Scanning the area around them, she found nothing. However, when she reached further she noticed that her suspicion was accurate. She felt the presence of what it seemed like, elves. They didn't seem to be hostile, but it was better to be on the safe side. Putting up her shield Iris sent a mental message to the two X-men, warning them that there were elves nearby, and that there was something on the astral plane, so they should check their mental shields as well.

"Stay close young hobbits! They say there's a great sorceress lives in these woods, an elf-witch of terrible power. All who look upon her, fall under her spell and are never seen again" Gimli said. Noticing that Frodo seemed startled at nothing and was looking around, Iris's theory that there was a telepath nearby was confirmed.

"Mr. Frodo?" Sam asked, also noticing the slightly distressed look on Frodo's face. As Sam asked that, Iris reached out to the mind of the elves approaching.

"Well, here is one dwarf she won't ensnare so easily. I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox!" Gimli said. Just as he finished his statement, elves with notched arrows suddenly appeared. They were aiming at everyone, except the three mutants. Iris had made it so that the elves simply 'overlooked' them.

"The dwarf breathes so loud we could have shot him in the dark" one of the blonde elves said, pissing Gimli off. Walking up to the elf that had insulted Gimli, Aragorn bowed and addressed the elf who seemed to be in charge.

"_Haldir o Lórien. Henion aníron, boe ammen i dulu lîn. Boe ammen veriad lî._" Aragorn said. Having tapped into the language part of Aragorn's mind, Iris could understand what he was saying; Haldir of Lórien, we come here for help. We need your protection.

"Aragorn, these woods are perilous! We should go back" Gimli said.

Taken to a 'flet' or 'talan as the elves called it, the company climbed up on a wooden platform build up in one of trees. When everyone was up on the platform, the golden haired elf in charge turned towards Legolas.

"_Mae govannen, Legolas Thranduilion_" the elf greeted Legolas. Tapping into Aragorn's mind Iris could translate and understand what was being said. What the elf had said was: 'Welcome Legolas, son of Thranduil'.

"Our fellowship stands in your debt, Haldir of Lórien" Legolas said in return. So that was his name, Haldir. As Iris thought that, Haldir turned towards Aragorn.

"Aragorn of the Dunedain, you are known to us"

"Thank you" Aragorn said, giving Haldir a slight nod.

"So much for the legendary courtesy of the Elves! Speak words we can all understand" Gimli said, irritated.

"We have not had dealings with the Dwarves since the Dark Days" Haldir said coolly in the common language.

"And you know what the Dwarf says to that? _Ishkhaqwi ai durugnul"_

"That was not courteous" Aragorn said, a little shocked. Changing the subject, Haldir turned to Frodo, telling him that he was bringing great evil with him.

"We need your protection" Aragorn said seriously to Haldir in elvish. "The road is very dangerous" Looking around, everyone seemed very worried. "Please, understand, we need your support" Aragorn continued. While Aragorn and Haldir talked, Boromir told Frodo that Gandalf's death was not in vain. That he would not have wanted Frodo to give up hope.

"You carry a heavy burden, Frodo. Don't carry the weight of the dead" Boromir said, sympathizing.

"You will follow me" Haldir said once he and Aragorn had finished talking. However, they would have to spend the night up in the talan. Since not all of them could fit in the talan, some would have to climb up in another talan nearby. The four hobbits and Iris were to stay, while the others climbed back down.

As a couple of the elves guided the Men, the Elf, the Dwarf and the Mutants to the other talan, Haldir offered the hobbits and Iris something to eat. The hobbits gladly accepted the second, and far better, dinner. Iris ate a little and wrapped the cloak she had been given around herself. Once they had eaten, the hobbits lay down to sleep. But it was easier said than done, since it turned out that hobbits aren't very fond of heights. And the fact that the talan didn't have any rails or walls didn't help. The only thing it had was a light plaited screen that could be moved and fixed in different places according to the wind.

At last the hobbits one by one fell asleep. Iris sat looking up at the patches of sky through the canopy, hearing the wind blow through the treetop. While she did so, one of the elves returned. Despite being able to move silently, Iris sensed Haldir coming and turned her head towards the hole in the talan. No longer holding up the illusion of having normal eyes, Iris startled Haldir. He blinked a few times before climbing up through the hole. Iris followed him with her eyes as he moved to the other end of the talan, right across from her. Growing tired of him staring at her, Iris spoke.

"I'm not going to hurt you or anything like that" she said quietly. As a few moments passed, Haldir nodded. He even moved a little closer to risk talking to her; after all, she hadn't said a word so far. And if Aragorn, a man in Lady Galadriel's favour, trusted her enough to let her join him, surely she couldn't be that bad…

"How is it that you are here?" he whispered, not wanting to wake the hobbits. Iris stared out into space for a while before answering that she didn't know. He asked if they by any chance rescued her from the enemy or so. He said that they had heard from the messenger from Rivendell that there was a company of coming, but they had said nothing about a woman coming as well.

"I don't know about this Rivendell, but we meet the others only a few days ago. About a day before we went into the…" Iris said, her voice faltering at the memories of the mines.

"The mines?" he asked. Iris nodded. Thankfully he dropped the subject of the mines and asked her about her eyes. "How is it possible? You had normal eyes before"

"Let's just call it magic" Iris said, giving him a faint smile. After thinking a little, Iris started to feel the urge to eat some comfort-food. Grabbing her bag, she carefully opened it and brought out a chocolate bar from her little stash.

Haldir watched as the girl brought out some strange kind of bar from her bag. She opened the wrapping and took a bite of the thing inside. Closing her eyes she let the chocolate melt in her mouth, sighing. Ah yes, this is what she needed. Opening her eyes again, Iris saw that Haldir was watching her.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You want some?" she said, offering him a piece of her precious chocolate. Haldir eyed the bar Iris was holding. "Come on, just take a bite. It's just chocolate"

Taking the bar of chocolate, Haldir cautiously smelled it before actually taking a bite. Taking Iris advice, he let the piece of chocolate melt a bit in his mouth.

"Good, isn't it…" Iris said, smiling knowingly. Well, it tasted, different. It wasn't that bad, but it was nothing he had eaten earlier, and he had lived for a few thousand years. Talking for some while, Iris grew more and more tired. Wrapping the fur cloak given to her by the elves, she laid down to sleep.

-

Author's Note: It might seem like I have been neglecting this story to some, but be asured that I have no intentions to do so. I have been busy with university and such, but I have been writing on future chapters and am currently plotting though TTT. Enjoy and remember your little friend, the purple button.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  


Being woken up at crack of dawn, Iris groggily ate some of the food she was offered. Climbing back down the tree the fellowship and the mutants once more started walking. Once more following the path, they reached a river.

"There is one of my people yonder across the stream though you may not see him" Haldir said. He gave a call like the low whistled of a bird, and out of the trees came an elf. He was dressed in grey and his hood was thrown back, revealing his golden hair; glinting like gold in the morning sun. Haldir threw over some of the grey rope to the other elf, who caught it and tied it around a tree near the bank. Explaining that the stream was strong and that it ran both swift and deep there, Haldir said that the elves there did not built bridges there in the present days of watchfulness. Telling the company to follow him, Haldir fastened the rope around another tree and then ran lightly along it, over the river and back, as easily as if he was walking on a street.

"I can walk this path, but the others have not this skill. Must they swim?" Legolas asked. Haldir said that there was no need for anyone to swim over, they would simple tie two more ropes over the river; one shoulder-high and the other half-high. Once the 'bridge' was made the remains of the Fellowship and the mutants passed over.

Much like Legolas and Haldir, Iris seemed to cross over the rope easily, although that was mostly thanks to her mutant abilities. The men too crossed without any problems. Of the hobbits, Pippin crossed over with most ease while Sam had been clutching the rope.

"Now, friends, you have entered the Naith of Lórien, or the Gore, as you would say, for it is the land that lies like a spearhead between the arms of the Silverlode and Anduin the Great. We allow no strangers to spy out the secrets of the Naith. Few indeed have been permitted even to set foot there" Haldir said. "As was agreed, I shall blindfold the eyes of Gimli the Dwarf. The others may walk free for a while, until we come nearer to our dwellings, down in Egladil, in the Angle between the waters"

The three mutants watched as Gimli showed his dislike, telling Haldir how the agreement was made without his consent. He refused to walk blindfolded like a prisoner or a beggar, assuring Haldir that he was no spy.

Haldir told Gimli that he did not think him to be a spy, but it was not up to him. That it was their law, and he could not set it aside. But Gimli didn't give up, telling him that he would go forward without the blindfold, or go back to his own land where he was known to be true of word.

"You cannot go back" Haldir said sternly. "Now that you have come so far, you must be brought before the Lord and the Lady. They shall judge you; to hold you or to give you leave, as they will. You cannot cross the rivers again, and behind you are secret sentinels that you cannot pass. You would be slain before you saw them" At the sound of the word 'sentinels' the three mutants glanced at each other.

"A plague on Dwarves and their stiff necks" Legolas said as Haldir and the other elves had drawn their bows in result of Gimli's drawn axe.

"Come" Aragorn said. "If I am still to lead this Company, you must do as I bid. It is hard for the Dwarf to be this singled out. We will all be blindfolded, even Legolas. That will be best, though it will make the journey slow and dull." Gimli started laughing as soon as Aragorn had finished speaking.

"A merry troop of fools we shall look! Will Haldir lead us all on a string, like many blind beggars with one dog? But I will be content, if only Legolas here shares my blindness" Gimli said, infuriating Legolas.

"I am an Elf and a kinsman here"

"Now let us cry: 'a plague on the stiff necks of Elves!'" Aragorn said. He also added that everyone in the Company should be treated the same. As for the mutants, they would have to decide for themselves if they wished to be blindfolded as well or to go on free.

"Well, what do you think?" Iris asked Wolverine as Gambit. Talking softly among themselves, they agreed finally to go as the others had chosen, to go blindfolded.

As all of them were being blindfolded, Gimli told them that he would hold them responsible for every fall and stubbed toe.

"You will have no claim" Haldir answered. "I shall lead you well, and the paths are smooth and straight"

Led by Haldir, the company started walking in a line. Feeling that the ground indeed was as Haldir had said, they walked more feely. Being deprived of sight did not stop Iris from taking in the surroundings. She could feel the sun on her skin, hear the wind rustling the leaves, and feel the smell of trees and grass. Having heard Legolas talk about the beauty of the forest, Iris fell for the temptation to see it. Feeling one of the elves walking beside her, Iris asked who it was. It turned out to be Haldir.

"Is the forest as beautiful as Legolas says it is?" she asked.

"I do not know what Legolas said, but beautiful it is"

"Can't you describe it to me? Describe to me what I can't see…" As Haldir walked a bit closer, he began describing the surroundings. Gently Iris reached out and entered his mind, holding on to his arm as she looked through his eyes. It was amazing. The trees, the grass, the rays of sunlight making their way through the canopy of leaves; it seemed like they had entered some sort of dreamland. It was almost breathtaking; the forest looked like nothing Iris had seen before. The trees were huge and the entire forest seemed very old, but still vibrant somehow.

Walking onto the flet after having climbed a winding stairway among the trees, the fellowship and the mutant trio walked towards the grand court of Galadriel and Celeborn. Hand in hand the Lord and Lady of Lothlórien moved down to meet the company.

Unconsciously the company had lined up, standing side by side, mesmerized by the beauty of the Lord and the Lady of the Wood, and how they seemed to give out a faint glow that surround them. Both of them were tall like the other elves Iris had seen so far and they were both clad entirely in white. The Lady's hair had a deep golden colour while the Lord's hair was silver, long and bright. Even thought Celeborn had silver hair, there was no sign of aging about them except for their eyes.

"The enemy knows you have entered here. What hope you had in secrecy is now gone. Eleven are here, yet nine were to set out the messages said. Tell me where is Gandalf? For I much desire to speak with him" Celeborn said.

A silence fell over the company, even though none of them had spoken. Searching the eyes of Aragorn Galadriel spoke.

"Gandalf the Grey did not pass the borders of this land. He has fallen into shadow"

"He was taken by both shadow and flame. A balrog of Morgoth. For we went needlessly into the net of Moria" Legolas said solemnly.

Like the others Iris too was taken by the beauty of the two rulers. But what she was paying attention to the most was Galadriel. Iris stared at her, the presence she had felt for some time now, and it had been her all along. Like so many other times Iris had come across another telepath, she tried to see how strong her opponent was.

"What now becomes of this fellowship? Without Gandalf, hope is lost" Celeborn said.

"The quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while the company is true" Galadriel said, giving Sam a smile. "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Go now and rest for you are weary with sorrow and much toil. Tonight you will sleep in peace"

While the Lady had spoken she had been looking at each member of the Fellowship, and then looking at the three mutants. For a moment it looked like Galadriel frowned when watching them, but it was only for a very brief moment. Still staring at Galadriel, it wasn't in awe like the others, but to keep an eye on the telepath in front of her, a potential opposition.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note This chapter is quite short, butI hope that doesn't matter much. This update is in honor of Me. No, I am not that selfish or selfcentered, it's just that since my birthday is coming up very soon I thought I'd update asa gift to those who enjoy this story.

* * *

Chapter 7 

After the little meet and greet with the Lord and Lady, the company were taken to a little glade by a fountain where they were to sleep on soft beds on the ground. The elves had spread a pavilion for them and laid soft couches in it. Speaking soft words of peace the elves left them.

Once they were alone the travellers talked of their night before in the treetops, and of their day's journey, and of the Lord and Lady; the days before that were not brought up due to the freshness of the pain of loss.

"What did you blush for, Sam?" Pippin asked. "You soon broke down. Anyone would have thought you had a guilty conscience. I hope it was nothing worse than a wicked plot to steal one of my blankets"

"I never thought such a thing" Sam answered. "If you want to know, I felt as if I hadn't got nothing on, and I didn't like it. She seemed to be looking inside me and asking me what I would do if she gave me the chance of flying back home to the Shire to a nice little hole with – with a bit of garden of my own"

It was with that little speech that he caught Iris' attention.

"That's funny" Merry said. "Almost exactly I felt myself; only, only well, I don't think I'll say any more…" he ended lamely.

It seemed like all of them had experienced the same thing; like they had been offered a choice between a shadow full of fear that lay ahead, and something they greatly desired. The only ones who did not join in on this conversation were the three mutants who had shielded their minds from Galadriel.

"And it seemed to me, too," said Gimli, "that my choice would remain secret and only known to myself"

"To me it seems exceedingly strange" said Boromir. "Maybe it's only a test, and she thought to read out thoughts for her own good purpose; but almost I should have said that she was tempting us, and offering what she pretended to have the power to give. It need not be said that I refused to listen. The Men of Minas Tirith are true to their word"

Iris watched as the men fell into silence, each pondering the offer they had been given. Breaking the stillness Iris spoke;

"Do you really believe she read your thoughts?" Iris asked no one in particular. Some of them looked up at her, brought out of their deep thoughts. Sam held fast to what he had said earlier, that it felt like she could see inside him.

"Did you not feel the same?" Sam asked.

"No, not quite…" Iris said, shaking her head. "But I don't doubt what you say you felt" Glancing towards the two X-men, Iris turned back to Sam. "Tell me, the way she looked at you, is it much like the way I'm looking at you now?" Iris said, pushing lightly into his mind.

Sam looked back into Iris' eyes, and suddenly his eyes grew wider. Withdrawing from Sam's mind, Iris leaned back against a tree.

"Sam, are you alright?" Merry asked, watching his friend slowly come around.

"I am alright, Merry. No need to worry…" Sam said, not once taking his eyes of Iris.

It was not yet dawn, nor was it night, but the time where the world is bathed in the half-light that is the moments before sunrise. Morning mist rose slowly from the dew-covered grass when Iris woke up. She had felt someone try to touch her mind. That someone could only be one person... Getting up, Iris wrapped a cloak around herself and left the sleeping forms of her companions.

Walking down a flight of stairs Iris came into a clearing where Galadriel awaited her. As soon as Iris had felt Galadriel try touching her mind, Iris had strengthened her mental shields. And now, standing in front of the Lady Galadriel Iris simply watched her with an unreadable look on her face, waiting for the elf to make the first move.

There they stood for a while, simply looking and quietly measuring each other up. At last Galadriel spoke.

"What are you?"

"Human" Iris answered.

"I have never in my many years come across someone from the race of Men that has been able to do what you can do"

"You mean refuse to let you take advantage of my mind?" Iris said rather coldly.

"I have not take advantage of them"

"No? And how is that possible? You intrude their most inner thoughts and desires. You see some parts of them they might not even know about. You rob them of themselves. What are they if not their thoughts and ideas? Who have given you the right to violate their minds?"

"Tell me, you who also has this gift, have you never seen into someone's eyes and seen that persons thoughts? Have you never, as you say, 'intruded their inner thoughts'?"

"I don't deny that, but I was young and curious. I know better now. This gift as you call it is as much a curse as it is a gift. If I had a penny for ever time I have regretted reading someone's thoughts…"

"You must understand, I do what I must to protect that which I love"

"May be, but you have no right to offer and promise them things you can't give them" Iris said. "There is nothing you can say that justifies that"

Turning around, Iris left Galadriel in the clearing. Once back in the little camp, Iris wrapped the cloak closer around herself. It wasn't until after an hour or so some of the others started to wake.

By that time Iris had been on the astral plane for some time. She had been enjoying the sight of the little lights that represent those around her. However, as the others had woken, she had returned to her physical body.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Shortly after having had breakfast together they had agreed to discuss some of the things that had happened the last few days, mostly the things that involved the three mutants. Most of the questions concerned the things that had happened during the fight with the orcs in the room where they had found Gimli's cousin.

Some of them had seen Wolverine being hit by arrows, slashed by swords and wounded by spears, yet here he stood before them with not a scratch on him. No evidence of the fight other than his tattered clothes. Not only that, but it had looked like he had metal claws coming out of his hands…

And Gambit, they had seen him throw glowing things at his foes; seeing the glowing objects explode when they hit their target.

As for Iris, nothing had gotten close to her even though she was in the middle of the battle. It seemed she had not done much, but they had seen swords that had been lying on the floor suddenly rise and slash orcs as if they had a will of their own.

Needless to say, these things had puzzled them all, but they had never had the time to think of those things until now. Sure they had had a started a discussion about this before, but they had been interrupted by a Warg-attack. Ever since then they had no time to ponder on these things, to talk about the strangers. And what better time was there then now in Lothlórien since the fellowship also had to decide where to go from there.

"So I was correct to assume it was your presence I felt in my mind while we still were in Moria" Legolas said. Iris nodded.

"Yeah, that was me alright." Taking a look around, most of the fellowship looked unconvinced. The ones who looked like they believed her were Legolas, Sam and for some reason Aragorn. When it came to Legolas and Sam, she knew they would believe her. After all, they had experienced how it felt when she gently caressed their minds. As for Aragorn, she didn't question his reasons for believing her, but she thanked him with a little smile.

As the discussion progressed, the question of there the mutants were from rose.

"We're from a place called Earth, which is most likely in another dimension or galaxy or something like that" Wolverine said.

"Well, what I'd like to know is how we ended up here…" Iris said, receiving slightly shocked looks from Wolverine and Gambit. "What?"

"You don't remember, do you chére?" Gambit said.

"Remember what?"

"How we got here?" he asked her. Iris shook her head. "Chére, you teleported us here"

"What? No, I can't do that. I'm only telepathic and telekinetic. I'm not a teleporter" Iris said. This wasn't making any sense to her. How in the world could she have teleported them here?

"What's the last thing you remember, kid?" Wolverine asked.

"Well, Gambit and I were in the living room. He had just helped me with the gash on my forehead. The last thing I remember was I was walking towards the door and then it just went black…" Iris said. "Then all of a sudden someone's screaming… you know what happened after that"

"Darlin', back in the living room, you had a seizure." Wolverine said after a moment.

"It's true, chére, you did. I thought you fainted, but then your body started to shake. I couldn't hold you down by myself, so I called Logan for help. Even with both of us it was hard to hold you still. Then you started to scream... and then there was a bright light. And before we knew it, we were here."

It took a while for Iris to let the new information sink in. The question that passed again and again through her mind was 'how?'

After lunch Iris had grabbed her bag and started walking around by herself. With a pair of headphones on, Iris walked for some time before she came to a little lake. Sitting down in the grass, Iris closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Walking among the trees he came upon a lake, but also Iris. Iris, the mutant as her kind was called. Iris, the girl with the power to read your thoughts. That was it, wasn't it? She could at any time look into his mind, see his thoughts and perhaps his memories. This made him feel somewhat uneasy, thinking about that. On the other hand, according to all three mutants, their kind was feared and shunned by most. Then there was always the thing in the caves, in Moria. That had caught him off guard. He was not a person who liked things that caught him off guard. Nonetheless, he continued to watch her from a distance. She was leaning against the stem of a tree, seemingly asleep. She seemed quite peaceful. Maybe she was recovering from the shock she had when her two companions told her it was her who brought them here. Apparently she did not know she could do this. She was not the only one who didn't know that could be done. After all, they claimed to be from another world, or even another time. 'Enough' he thought to himself. There was no point on dwelling on those thoughts.

After some time of just sitting there, watching the light reflect on the water, Iris fell into a light slumber, a dreamless sleep. But the sleep did not last long. Waking from the nap, Iris didn't feel like getting up quite yet. It was so quiet and peaceful by the lake.

Entering the astral plane Iris watched the glowing orbs that symbolized the ones in her surroundings. Most of them were shining like stars, but a few were only glowing dully. Those were the ones who knew how to protect their minds. The glowing orbs were spread out all over, as if there actually were stars up in the sky. But the orb closets to her physical body somewhat drew her interest. She knew that orb; she had travelled with him for the last few days. Moving closer to it, Iris reached out and very gently caressed the surface.

His entire body stiffened. He felt a warm sensation inside his head. She was in there, he knew it. But the sensation only lasted an instant. He opened his eyes and looked over towards her. She was looking straight at him. That look… After a short moment he broke eye contact and turned around, leaving.

Returning to the little camp to have dinner, Iris ate but did not speak much. 'He' acted like the thing at the lake hadn't happened. To tell the truth, Iris had no idea herself if anything had happened. She had felt his presence and opened her eyes, looking at him. But he had been slightly miffed when she had looked at him. As if she had offended him or so… 'Whatever' she thought to herself. 'Why should I care what he thinks? It's not like he's blaming me for the death of Gandalf, is it? Is he?'

This train of thought always left Iris very uncomfortable. What if there was something she could have done? What if she let him fall to his death? She has telekinetic powers; surely she could have stopped his fall… All these 'What if's were killing her. They never seemed to stop. They were slowly eating her up from the inside.

"Hey kid" Turning around Iris saw Wolverine walk up to her and sit down beside her. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah"

"You sure?"

"Yeah" He glanced at her for a moment before asking how the gash on her forehead was healing. "It's healing just fine"

"Hey, just so you know, I'm here if you wanna talk, okay?" When Iris nodded he looked at her, then in the direction she had been looking. She had been watching the hobbits talk and just plainly enjoy themselves. The silence between them was not an uncomfortable silence, but a slightly understanding silence. Wolverine seemed to be sensing the need for silence, for peace, that Iris was feeling. How badly did she not want to just be in peace, like at the lake?

"I've never seen someone die before" Iris whispered. She did not want to say it aloud. It would have felt…wrong, if she had said it out loud. Wolverine nodded calmly. How could he be so calm at a time like this? After having seen all that death?

To Iris great relieve, Wolverine didn't say anything, only put his arm around her. Leaning her head against his chest, Iris closed her eyes. She wouldn't cry, she couldn't cry. But her body was no longer under her command and she felt her eyes fill with salty tears.

She was so tired, physically and mentally. She lay in his arms, letting the tears run like two streams, slowly flowing from her eyes.

Once more returning to the lake, Iris set down her bag and pulled out a little thing a very good friend of hers had made for her. It was very much like a MP3, but it was driven by solar energy and could hold almost every song she'd ever heard. Holding it in her hands for a moment, she was lost to the memories of the past for a while.

"Armand" she said quietly to herself, but shaking her head lightly she let go of the memory and turned device on.

After the last few days she needed something to help her get back to normal. She had had enough of feeling so down; she needed this to help her relax a little, to take her mind off all of this.

The music was loud and the rhythms spoke to the soul. And there she was, in the centre of it all. But something was off; he could feel it as he walked closer. She did not seem to notice him as he walked out from the trees. Now he could see for himself what it was that had seemed off. He had thought she had been sitting on a rock by the water, but she was not. She was sitting on nothing. She was hanging in the air, attached to nothing.

Standing up, the folds of the simple dress she had been flowed as if caressed by the gentle wind, only there was none. Somewhere in the back of her head, Iris sensed the presence come closer, but she simply pushed it out of her mind, once more getting lost in the music that filled the clearing.

There he stood, mesmerized by the combination of the music and the sight before him. He had not yet come to terms with the fact that she could move things by will, but to actually levitate… Closing his eyes for a moment, he took a deep breath and tried to get a hold of himself. 'What is this magic?' was one of the many thoughts that ran though his mind.

She could no longer ignore the presence. It was so hard to get lost in the rhythm and lyrics of the music when there was something buzzing in the back of her mind. Finally giving up, Iris opened up her eyes only to be met with the sight of him. Red eyes met grey eyes.

He felt a shiver go down his spine as she gave him a little knowing smile. After a few second he felt a warm presence inside his mind.

'I could hear you from a mile away, do you know that?' He could hear the words in his mind as clear as if she had spoken them out loud.

"Wha… What do you mean?"

'There's no need to talk out loud. Just think the words and I'll hear' she 'said' without moving her lips, other than to give him another little smile.

Holding her hand in the direction in which the music was coming from he saw a small metal device being lifted off the ground, hovering in the air for a second before flying into the hands of Iris. She touched one of the buttons and music changed into a more calm song.

"You don't have to worry about me reading your mind" she said, not taking her eyes of the device. Feeling slightly uncomfortable at what she had said he averted his eyes. "Why did you come here?" she said, this time looking him straight in the eye.

"You are not the only one who seeks solitude every now and then" he said.

"No arguing with you there" Iris said, rising a bit higher above the water surface. "Have you ever wanted to just spread your wings and fly away from it all?" Iris asked.

"We do not flee from trouble where I come from, if that is what you mean…" he said.

"That's not what I meant. All I asked was if you've ever had the wish to fly, free like a bird, soaring high above the ground"

"The thought has passed my mind perhaps once or twice, but there is no point in such thoughts"

"Would you like to?" Iris asked.

"I do not understand where you are going with this"

"Would you like to fly?" He watched her suspiciously, not quite sure if she was joking with him. "It's not that hard. All you have to do is to take my hand…" she didn't finish the sentence.

He didn't take the offer, but rather seemed slightly offended by Iris' suggestion. He looked disbelievingly into Iris' eyes for a moment before turning around and walking away. Watching him disappear between the trees Iris once more turned up the volume of the music and floated the little metal object she was holding towards her bag. That done she once more hovered a few feet above the centre of the lake, closing her eyes once more.

---

Author's note:  
Hello everyone. Sorry for not updating for so long. I moved not to long ago and started a new course at uni and in all that hooplahI kind of forgot thatI had not updated. Also,I have indeed written the next chapter, and hopefully i will remember to upload that one soon. Ifi do forget, feel free to remind me.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

They had been in the Golden Woods for a few days, and having finished dinner the remaining fellowshippers and mutants sat around, listening to the sounds of the laments still sung for Gandalf. Somehow the hobbits had started to reminisce about their homes, and not being able to help it, Iris had sat down with them, listening to them talk about where they came from, the Shire. From what they described, it was a calm and peaceful place where almost everyone got along; where there life wasn't hard. Why, it sounded absolutely wonderful, like a perfect place to get away to when things were getting too hard to handle.

It wasn't long before the hobbits turned from describing their beloved homes to talking about their families, and as they did, Aragorn laughed and said "Now you've done it, now you will never hear the end of it. Hobbits can tell you about their relations until your ears fall off".

"Really, is that so?"

"Yes" he said, puffing on a pipe he had lit recently.

"Well, I still think the Shire sounds like a wonderful place to live. Must be quite beautiful" Iris said, much to the hobbits delight.

"The Shire might be a wonderful place, but it does not possess the beauty of the White City, of that I am sure" Boromir said, sitting with his back against the trunk of a Mallorn tree, which Iris had been told the trees were called.

"The White City? What is that?"

"It is where I come from, Minas Tirith. Ah, to once more see the White tower of Ecthelion, glimmering like a spike of pearl and silver. Its banners caught high in the morning breeze. To be called home by the clear ringing of silver trumpets. To see the White Tree in flower again in the Courts of the Kings..." He seemed lost in memory for a moment, but the moment was soon past. "Have you ever seen it Aragorn?" Boromir asked in a lower voice.

"I have seen the White City, long ago" Aragorn answered, he too obviously remembering the sight.

"Sounds beautiful" Iris said, mostly due to the look of awe in Boromir's eyes. "I'd love to see it"

"You will be able to see it should it be decided to take the road to my city"

"Or I could have a peak at it now..." Iris said, hinting, and managing to confuse most of those around.

"I do not understand what it is you mean" Boromir said.

"Well, you could show it to me right now" she said, causing further confusion. "Let me explain it like this, should you let me, I could see the White City the way you do"

"I still do not understand where you are going with this"

"Remember when I said I could hear thoughts?" Clearly he did, which made it a bit easier for Iris to explain. "Well, it's the same technique really. You think of the City, and I'll be able to see it. Which would require that you allow me into your mind..." she said, quickly adding "But I would only see what you want me to see, of course" This did not seem to go too well with Boromir. The others watched quietly as he thought of his decision.

After some time and a lot of thinking Boromir had made his mind up. He asked Iris about what she had told him already, that if he did indeed agree, she would not be able to go about as she wished in him mind, but only see what he allowed her to see. She confirmed this, and so he told her that would allow her to enter his mind to see the White City, Minas Tirith, his home.

Sitting in front of him Iris placed her hands on both sides of his face, telling him that it worked better the closer she was. She leaned a bit closer and closed her eyes. She told him to imagine the two of them as they were now in his mind, to see it with his minds eye. She told him to focus on the two of them and shut everything else out, and this he did.

"You can open your eyes now" Doing as he was told, he took in the surroundings. They were still in the camp, only not. The others were nowhere to be seen and the whole camp seemed a bit off. "We are now in your mind" Iris said, letting go of Boromir. Standing up, her clothing changed from the dress she had been loaned to some strange clothes which he assumed was how they dressed wherever it was she was from. Clad in a green and silver corset with a long flowing dark green skirt, she reached out her hand towards him. Taking her hand, Boromir stood up beside her. Having noticed the look on his face as her clothes changed, Iris told him that where they were, the only limit was their imagination. Taking this information in, Boromir gave the theory a try, changing his rather travel worn clothes to what he must have worn when he was still in his hometown. He stood before her, now wearing a deep purple tunic, matching britches, decorative boots, a nice belt and at his side, attached to his belt, hung the Horn of Gondor.

"See, it's not that hard, now is it?" she said, smiling. "Shall we?"

"So all I have to do is to think of Minas Tirith?"

"Yes, just like you thought of your clothes, think of your City" No sooner than she had said the last word were they standing on the inside of a large gate.

"This is part of the lower levels" Boromir said, now smiling, clearly glad to see his city, be it real or no. Holding her hand, he guided her though the White City, pointing out little sights to her every now and then as they made their way to the higher levels.

Finally reaching the Court of the Kings, Iris got to see this 'White Tree' which seemed to be so special. Asking Boromir about it, he told her the story and how it had bloomed in the days of the kings. And that hopefully it would bloom again. Ushering Iris inside, Boromir showed her his father's Hall, the garden of the Houses of Healing and finally he showed her his quarters, or rather the one he had shared with his little brother when they were younger.

"I didn't know you had a little brother" Iris said. "What's he like?"

Giving Iris a smile, Boromir focused on a rather vivid memory of him and his brother. She could see two boys; the older one seemed to be about 11 and the younger about 6 years old. It was night and the two of them were sharing a bed. The older one, which was unmistakably Boromir, was holding his little brother in his arms, comforting him as he cried. Watching the very sweet and emotional scene before her, Iris wondered why Boromir had chosen this of all memories to show her.

"He used to have nightmares quite often when he was younger" Boromir said softly. Squeezing his hand a little, Iris turned towards him. He was still watching the image of him and his brother. Thankful that he had shown such trust in her, that he had let her see something so sacred, Iris wrapped her arms around him, whispering "Thank you".

"For what?" Releasing him, Iris took a step back and gave him a warm smile.

"For allowing me to see this. I thought you would show me just him, not something this personal. For all it's worth, I really hope to see all this for real some day" After a silent moment, Iris couldn't help herself and said, "Why?" Boromir who was now standing on the little balcony attached to the room, turned around.

"Why what?"

"Why did you show it to me? I don't mean to be rude or ungrateful, but that was quite personal, and I can't help to wonder why you let me see it. After all, I've only known you for what, a week?" she said, walking over to him, leaning against the door frame.

"You have the power to read minds; surely you have seen what the others think of me. They do not fully trust me, I can tell" he said, looking towards the darkness that was ahead in the horizon. His hands were gripping the balcony rail, his entire body slightly tense. "I do not want to be thought of that way. I am no villain"

Not knowing what to say, Iris simply walked up to him and stood there by his side. "From the start of this journey, if not even before, did a seed of mistrust start to grow in their hearts and minds. Why? What have I done for it to be so? Have I not fought by their side? Have I not done all in my power to stay true to our mission?" His shoulders were slumped, his head lowered.

Once more wrapping her arms around Boromir, she held on to him. Time silently passed as the two of them stood on the balcony. Breaking the embrace, Boromir straightened himself.

"How long have we been here?" he asked.

"An hour, maybe two, why? Are you feeling tired?"

"No" He shook his head. "How much do you know about the fellowship?" He said after a moment. Iris looked at him, but he was watching the dark horizon.

"Not much" Iris had already sensed that there was something up with them, but she couldn't really place her finger on it. But it might have something to do with Frodo, or maybe Aragorn... The only thing that was sure was that it made things even more confusing than it already was. Things seemed simpler and yet more complicated here.

"If I tell you something, will you vow to tell no one?" he said with a grave look. She didn't have to look into his eyes to know he was serious.

"Yes. Whatever happens on the astral plane stays on the astral plane" Iris said. "Do you want to talk here, or...?" Saying that it was up to her, Iris decided that it was perhaps better if they left. Taking his hand, she guided him back into the room and towards the door. Stepping out of the room, they exited on a field of strange flowers, weeping willows and a sky that indicated the rise or setting of the sun. Sitting down by a stream, Iris let him take his time before he started talking.

"There is a great darkness growing on the border of my land." he started. "It has been growing over the years and now its strength has almost outgrown ours. For years our people have been out there, hindering the assaults of orcs and Easterlings. But lately out strength has started to wane. The fellowships mission is to through stealth, destroy the greatest weapon of the Dark Lord."

Iris sat under the weeping willow in thought, watching as Boromir crouched down by the water, letting the water flow between his fingers. She was sure there was more to this, but honestly, she wasn't sure she wanted to know. Thus, she let him talk, as it seemed like it was something he had longed to do. To just talk, to have someone who listened without any hostility or suspicion.

Turning around, he seemed to want to shake off the gloomy subject, and asked her about where she was from and how it was there. Standing up Iris quietly offered her hand to him. Getting up, Boromir took her hand and followed as she led the two of them over the field to a large tree with a great hole in it. A hole big enough for a full-grown man to fit in it. Stepping into the hole, Iris beckoned him to follow. Boromir hesitated for a moment, but followed the telepath nonetheless.

The two of them went into the hole in the tree, and stepped into a dark alley. Walking out on the street, Boromir was met with the sight of strangely clad humans, some of them showing very much skin, and passing a tattoo parlor Boromir stopped.

"What is this place?" he asked, gazing in though the window.

"That's a tattoo parlor" Seeing that he did not understand her, she took him inside. In there, on a chair was a woman who getting a tattoo. Boromir watched fascinated as a man covered in strange images walked over to the girl and sat down on a small chair beside her.

"You picked one yet?" he asked the girl whose face they could not see. When she nodded and held up the paper with the design she wanted, he asked where she wanted it. Speeding the event forward, the next thing that happened was that they were standing outside once more.

"What happened?" Boromir asked, trying to figure out how they suddenly were outside.

"I'd rather not have you find out where I have my tattoo like that" Iris said with a smile. Obviously he had not noticed that it was she who had gotten the tattoo, but then again, she did look a bit different back then. She had had long black hair with blood red tips. Hell, she even had piercings back then. Not that back then was that long ago. Leading Boromir further down the street, they turned to the right, walked a past a couple of stores, and a bit ahead was the house Iris was raised in. It wasn't that that big; but quite plain having only one level and with a small yard in the front and a little bigger backyard.

The two of them walked in and proceeded into the living room, which was at the moment empty.

"Well, you showed me your family, and now it's only right you see mine" Iris said. The room suddenly changed and the room was only lit up by candles that were getting closer. Someone was singing, and in came a woman in her early 40's, holding a big cake covered by candles. Seeing the resemblance between the middle aged woman and the telepath standing beside him Boromir quickly figured out that she was Iris' mother. By her mothers side was a man, quite tall and with light brown hair which was turning grey.

"Is he your father?" Boromir asked.

"No. That's my mother and he's lives next door. Known him all my life, him and his kids" Iris said, as the ghost-image of her mother passed them. Turning around, Boromir followed the two as they continued singing. Halting before the small table, her mother put the cake down in front of a slightly younger version of Iris. The room was filled with decorations in black and orange, pumpkins with faces carved on them, and a great deal of candles were placed about, filling the room with a golden light. Sitting to the younger Iris' side was a boy with black shoulder length hair, green eyes, and almost golden skin. On the other side was another boy, with red hair down to his jaw, grey eyes and fair skin with some freckles on his nose. On another couch was a girl who resembles the red haired boy, only her hair was much darker, her skin seemed milky and her grey eyes seemed darker. Other than that they were all dressed in odd clothes and everyone was smiling.

Iris' mother handed out pieces of the cake as the red haired girl handed 'Iris' a brightly colored box.

"That's Jade" Iris said as her younger version ripped off the colorful wrapping paper, revealing a beautifully crafted wooden chest. It had small sceneries carved into the sides and on the top. Next to give a gift was the red haired boy. "That's Tristan, Jade's brother. I've known them since I was a little kid. The man sitting next to my mother, Andrew, he's their father." The gift Tristan gave her was a small metallic thing, a music player, she said it was. "He made it himself" Iris said, smiling at the memory. Then came her mother's turn. Pulling out a large box with a red ribbon tied around it, she proudly presented it to her daughter. Carefully pulling away the ribbon, 'Iris' lifted the lid, and inside was a black corset with red lace trimmings. Picking up the corset, 'Iris' leaned over the table and gave her mother a hug, her smile now even bigger. The scene quickly passed by, they ate, they drank and they all seemed to enjoy themselves.

"Who was the dark haired one?" Boromir said, also noticing that the dark haired one was also the only one who did not present 'Iris' with a gift.

"That's Armand" Iris said. Boromir saw as the scene before him changed into a bigger room, almost as big as one of the halls of his home. There were small round tables spread out, some of them occupied by people mostly dressed in dark clothing. Most of the women wore long dresses in different styles; some wore short skirts barely covering half their thighs and other more than a little revealing clothes. The men wore quite simple clothes compared to the women, but no less were some of their garments stunning. Standing out in the middle of the sea of dark clothes were a few who wore brightly colored clothes. One that caught Boromir's was a young blond man clad in a blood red coat with golden details. Pushing past him, Iris, now wearing a long black coat, brought him out of his study of his surroundings. She made her way through the crowd, zigzagging between the tables until she reached her destination. It was a table near a stage, and sitting around it were a bunch of people. Standing beside Iris, Boromir watched as those around the table stood and went up on stage.

"They're friends of mine" Iris said, sitting down at the table. "You see the silver white haired one, that's Adrian. The red haired one over there is Tristan, you remember him, right. The black long haired one in the front is Killian and the one with the mohawk in the back is James" she said as the group started playing.

"You know these people?" Boromir asked.

"Yeah, I've known them for a couple of years now, ever since they started the band" Iris said, tapping her foot to the rhythm of the music. Turning towards Boromir, Iris smiled. "You know, I actually was part of the band for a while"

"What do you mean?" Boromir asked, bewildered.

"I used to stand up on stage with them sometimes, singing. It was just a fun thing to do" she said, smiling. The group on stage had just finished their first song, one they had written themselves and were now moving on to another song, only now 'Iris' and Jade were on stage as well. This version of Iris did not look very different to the one who had just been sitting beside Boromir. She had long black hair, lavender top, a pair of black knee-high high heeled boots and a long low-cut skirt with slits up to her thighs on both sides as well as an embroidered belt clinging to her hips. The band started a new tune as the two girls started to dance on stage to the music as the one she had pointed out to be Killian started singing.

All the while he sang, occasionally with the help of one of the other band members, they danced about the stage, flirting with most of the guys. Towards the second half of the song the two of them danced close to Killian. As the song ended Killian presented Jade and Iris to the audience, telling them to give the two lovely girls a hand.

All the while Iris had observed Boromir and his reaction to what he might think as a 'suggestive' dance. And indeed did he at first seem a bit shocked by not only their slightly revealing outfits, but also he did not seem used to the rhythms and beats they were playing. However, he did not seem to think too much of it after a while. He seemed to enjoy the show as the rest of the audience had back even this had actually happened. This had been their big gig. Their big breakthrough. She still remembered how happy they had all been and how hard they had celebrated. She also remembered some things that had happened at that time that could have been, or should have been, prevented. But what has happened has happened, Iris reminded herself.

Lost in her own thoughts, Iris let the illusion of the show continue, taking comfort in the familiarity of her surroundings.

Once back in the glade, Boromir opened his eyes. In front of him was Iris, leaning against him with her arms still resting on his shoulders and her forehead leaning against his chest.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I didn't think it would tire me this much... I just need to rest a bit" she said in a sleepy voice. Picking her up, Boromir took her to the nearest sleeping-roll and lay her down.

----

Author's note: I am currently looking for a Beta-reader, so if you are familiar with X-verse and LotR-verse, please let me know.


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